Honeycomb looks very slick to me. One thing they got right is to not require a home button. It makes no sense in a tablet, specially in portrait mode.

If this makes Apple improve iOS's notification system and replace those popups by something less intrusive and annoying, we all won already.

I tend to agree. But the universal functionality of iOS makes it compelling for a great many.
In any case, for me at least, A3.0 is at least worth a trip to Best Buy to check it out(see if this 'pig' can squeal ).

BTW I may have missed it, but did not see any mention of printing, some basic word processing(ala Pages etc), DLNA support etc. I presume those apps/functions are in existing underlying Android code?

Oh... And I presume this new version does not support H.264 codec and only supports Googles video codec?.... Ziiiiinnng!
Those Google kids these days, they don't know if they're coming or going

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster by your side, kid.

In Honeycomb, Google is offering much more options and features, at the price of being rougher around the edges, which is the cost of being flexible with an open market.

In the iPad 2, Apple will continue to do what it did really well with the iPad, maintain a simple but focused user interface.

Overtime, both will be drawn closer to one another and borrow certain features. iOS will borrow Android's notifications bar, Android will borrow some of iOS's gestures, but they each will continue to maintain the above stance.

Both OS's will be extremely popular. With options and choices, consumers win. Apple will continue to drive Google to improve, and Google will drive Apple to do the same.

Within 2 years, the Android tablet userbase will surpass iOS's. And with the larger user-base, Android will draw in an increasing number of (iOS) developers.

Once everything is stabilized, Android will own the majority of the smartphone AND tablet space. But iOS will continue to serve its loyal fanbase with a very sharp and purposeful UX for its products.

Doesn't look appealing to me, but then, I think the iPad is dumb also. Who wants a laptop with no keyboard? Who wants a cellphone you can't fit in your pocket. Ok, all those iPad sales say I'm wrong. I guess people have more money than brains.

I encourage you to look at iPad with fresh eyes and challenge your own assumptions. Imagine if the iPad had been around for 20 years, and suddenly Apple released something tomorrow called the "laptop".

You'd say that a laptop is powerful, but bulky. Lacks a touchscreen. Does a lot of stuff, but the UI makes me move an arrow around a push down a button under the keyboard...It's really good at typing but not at moving things around or formatting. It has tons of storage space but is probably more prone to failure due to all the moving parts. It's certainly not as intimate - like snuggling up with a typewriter.

I'm just saying that all devices have their pros and cons, and I think too many people only view the iPad in terms of its weaknesses relative to laptops. We don't ever stop to think about all the weaknesses a laptop has!

In Honeycomb, Google is offering much more options and features, at the price of being rougher around the edges, which is the cost of being flexible with an open market.

In the iPad 2, Apple will continue to do what it did really well with the iPad, maintain a simple but focused user interface.

Overtime, both will be drawn closer to one another and borrow certain features. iOS will borrow Android's notifications bar, Android will borrow some of iOS's gestures, but they each will continue to maintain the above stance.

Both OS's will be extremely popular. With options and choices, consumers win. Apple will continue to drive Google to improve, and Google will drive Apple to do the same.

Within 2 years, the Android tablet userbase will surpass iOS's. And with the larger user-base, Android will draw in an increasing number of (iOS) developers.

Once everything is stabilized, Android will own the majority of the smartphone AND tablet space. But iOS will continue to serve its loyal fanbase with a very sharp and purposeful UX for its products.

Probably true. How ever, in terms of market share, if there is not a compelling reason to 'standardize' to Android (ala windows and office), IMO Apple has a good chance to be 50% or more. I don't think they will maintain higher unless they can maintain/continue a close price comparison. If they can, watch out, they could dominate like iPod.

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster by your side, kid.

You're a fool if you think Apple is protecting you from that. Apple's review process cannot catch any of that, as several high profile blunders have shown where people smuggled secret functionality into apps that were only pulled when people started telling Apple about it. At best, Apple can pull dangerous apps from the App Store once they get user complaints. But that's the same thing Google does with Market.

Unlike iOS, however, where your applications run largely unprotected, Android's permission system actually enforces protections for apps, so if the app doesn't request access to personal information, you can be certain that it won't get any either.

Are you actually from this planet?

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." Douglas Adams

if they wrap this up in a nice price, they will have a great success with it, simply because once apple is too expensive. apple has now got all the early adopters, apple fans and loyal fanbase. but that's it! many, many people out there buy things only if they can afford them. apple, it would be time for an ipad and an ipad pro! the ipad pro is what we have right now (including camera, retina display, aluminum design) and the "other" ipad is plastic/rubber, "normal" display, bad facetime cam and comes in black, white, orange, tangerine, green and pink! and it also has a price tag of 299 us$ for the white, and 349 us$ for the other pads!

Android tablet is much more expensive, considering that you must buy new one every 6 months because next version of Android OS doesn't support more than 6 months old devices.

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E.g., Honeycomb requires dual cores, while Galaxy Tab (how old is that?) is only single core.
That's common for Android makers, because of the thin margin, they want people to buy their new products as they release.

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E.g., Honeycomb requires dual cores, while Galaxy Tab (how old is that?) is only single core.
That's common for Android makers, because of the thin margin, they want people to buy their new products as they release.

I've use both the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab, and in terms of productivity I think the Tab is better because it can do more. Having said that, I still love my iPad better because of its library of apps, and yes, because iPads are just cool! But I do agree with Google's statement that iOS is just a "warehouse of app". iOS needs to have a customizeable home/lock screen for business users. Of course you can get these apps through the Cydia store, but Apple need to finally make these features standard in iOS.

It looks fairly interesting. The more varied tablet operating systems there are the better for consumers. It gives you more choice so you can find a perfect fit for your needs. It also increases pressure on Microsoft / Apple / Google to raise the bar for quality and features.

I know that most of the naysayers are trolling just for the sake of trolling but the other option is that EVERYONE is the same, we all end up using iOS or Android or Windows. You can imagine what a horrible world that would be.

I fail to believe that Apple customers who have above average income and hopefully above average IQ are incapable of assessing a competing product from a neutral, non-biased perspective. Seriously people!

This article omitted the "buy on the web automatically downloaded to phone" aspect of the web Android Market. You might love iTunes, and connecting your iPhone via USB, but surely you can see that there might be some merit in browsing on your computer and having it appear on the phone automatically? It's a good feature, which is why the author chose to omit it.

Similarly, this is a laughable pot shot:

"The difference is that Apple's web store links to iTunes for purchases, which can be made via credit cards (since 2008); Google still only accepts its own Google Checkout for payments."

How is registering for an iTunes account and adding your credit card details any different from registering for a Google Checkout account and adding your credit card details? How do you think you pay via Google Checkout if it isn't via a card?! Come on!

Doesn't look appealing to me, but then, I think the iPad is dumb also. Who wants a laptop with no keyboard? Who wants a cellphone you can't fit in your pocket. Ok, all those iPad sales say I'm wrong. I guess people have more money than brains.

I guess people have more money than brains.

You are confused. People with brains usually have money (disposable income.)

It is what keeps the market going. You must be an Obama handout person.

I fail to believe that Apple customers who have above average income and hopefully above average IQ are incapable of assessing a competing product from a neutral, non-biased perspective. Seriously people!

This article omitted the "buy on the web automatically downloaded to phone" aspect of the web Android Market. You might love iTunes, and connecting your iPhone via USB, but surely you can see that there might be some merit in browsing on your computer and having it appear on the phone automatically? It's a good feature, which is why the author chose to omit it.

That's not important point, because we can do that on iPhone or Android. Or do you think iPhone user must use iTunes to buy and download apps? Even you can download apps as big as 1.4G OTA, while Android is limited to 25M.

Quote:

Similarly, this is a laughable pot shot:

"The difference is that Apple's web store links to iTunes for purchases, which can be made via credit cards (since 2008); Google still only accepts its own Google Checkout for payments."

How is registering for an iTunes account and adding your credit card details any different from registering for a Google Checkout account and adding your credit card details? How do you think you pay via Google Checkout if it isn't via a card?! Come on!

The laughable point is not that, but the fact that paid Android apps only offered in 9 countries. So what's the point of adding credit card to Google Checkout?

That's not important point, because we can do that on iPhone or Android. Or do you think iPhone user must use iTunes to buy and download apps? Even you can download apps as big as 1.4G OTA, while Android is limited to 25M.

I didn't say that. An iPhone user can't browse iTunes on the computer and have it automatically load to the phone. That was my point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuwafuwa

The laughable point is not that, but the fact that paid Android apps only offered in 9 countries. So what's the point of adding credit card to Google Checkout?

You are right, but again, that's a different point altogether. The point the author made was about iTunes accounts and credit cards, not worldwide presence.

You are confused. People with brains usually have money (disposable income.)

It is what keeps the market going. You must be an Obama handout person.

As I understand it, since you take the thread to politics, most of the money in the United States is actually gained/kept through government policies (non-taxing of the richest, etc...)
You must be a McCain/Fox News person?

Social Capitalist, dreamer and wise enough to know I'm never going to grow up anyway... so not trying anymore.

E.g., Honeycomb requires dual cores, while Galaxy Tab (how old is that?) is only single core.
That's common for Android makers, because of the thin margin, they want people to buy their new products as they release.

Flame if you want but I actually like the idea that Google have sat down, thought about how they would want a 10" tablet interface to work, and then customized Android from the ground up for that interface.

What Google have created is something distinctly different from what the iPad offers. I can't say I'm personally be interested is buying one, but I appreciate that Google are offering an alternative.

We can't Google-bash when they copy what Apple does and then Google-bash again when they don't.

You normally write crap posts, but I actually agree with you to an extent.
Give them credit that they have not copied the iPad UI, but thats all.
To me it looks too much like a PC/Windows desktop, YUK.
And what gives with the battery sucking widgets that continuously poll for data ?
Will the app killer be still the number 1 app on their app store ?
ANd finally, yes, more fragmentation, but I predicted this, as have others. Introducing a tablet with a tablet-friendly and phone-unfriendly OS will only make matters worse.
That is why Apple are brilliant with iOS4*.

I like how the article says " Googles busy new Tablet". LOL. what the article fails to understand is that you can make it as busy or nothing but a background on the desktop. But I guess its a matter of choice, something Jobs does not let his iPad sheep have.

It took Android about two years to be the number one mobile OS in the world, i'm guessing it will take Honeycomb and the following version there of even less to come out on top as the number one tablet OS.

Yep I'm an iPad sheep. So are my family including a 7 year old who picked it up and was comfortable in its use after 5 mins, after 30 mins became fluent.
But I guess you fandroids don't get simplicity do you.
All fail with your reasoning that computers are complicated and for serious work and definitely not for the non-IT crowd.
How guess what ? I'm a computer programmer, but I still prefer the pure simplicity of my Apple products any day.
By the way your assertion that Android is the number 1 mobile OS is actually not true, I suggest you retract this and actually do some research, but I guess fandroids don't have to, right ?
Count iPod, iPad and iPhone which all are capable of using iOS4.2 (unlike android hardware that is fragmentation hell), iOS is way ahead of android OS. Your ignorance/lies are astonishing.

In Honeycomb, Google is offering much more options and features, at the price of being rougher around the edges, which is the cost of being flexible with an open market.

In the iPad 2, Apple will continue to do what it did really well with the iPad, maintain a simple but focused user interface.

Overtime, both will be drawn closer to one another and borrow certain features. iOS will borrow Android's notifications bar, Android will borrow some of iOS's gestures, but they each will continue to maintain the above stance.

Both OS's will be extremely popular. With options and choices, consumers win. Apple will continue to drive Google to improve, and Google will drive Apple to do the same.

Within 2 years, the Android tablet userbase will surpass iOS's. And with the larger user-base, Android will draw in an increasing number of (iOS) developers.

Once everything is stabilized, Android will own the majority of the smartphone AND tablet space. But iOS will continue to serve its loyal fanbase with a very sharp and purposeful UX for its products.

I use an Android tablet and an iPad daily and have to say: the author doesn't know what he is talking about.

Microsoft's tablet PCs are a direct adaptation of desktop systems, with cumbersome window management, pen input, and other misfeatures. They are totally different from both Android tablets and iPads.

Android tablets are very much like the iPad, only that they offer some additional features: you can (but don't have to) put widgets on the home screen, you get additional soft keyboards (many of them far superior to Apple's), and applications are better integrated and more consistent than iPad apps.

I guarantee you, just like Apple finally gave in and added multitasking to iOS, Apple will be adding widgets and other Android features as well: they have to, otherwise they'll be falling behind further and further.

Android 2.2 is already a superior tablet OS to iOS 4.2, and Android 3.0 is far ahead of iOS 4.2.

I'm rolling around on the floor dying of laughter from your insane post.
Are you for real dude ?
Which Android tablet do you use ? How come you fandroids always lump product under the android umbrella ? Come on give us the name ? Is it that cheap Chinese crap that was released about 6 months ago, and is only good as a door stopper ? Is it the galaxy tab perhaps ?
That wonderful piece of garbage that uses a version of android that was not meant to be used on a tablet. The one with the lag, sloppy UI, where you can't buy apps for it.
Come one tell me your iPad killer, I'm dying to know.

I fail to believe that Apple customers who have above average income and hopefully above average IQ are incapable of assessing a competing product from a neutral, non-biased perspective. Seriously people!

This article omitted the "buy on the web automatically downloaded to phone" aspect of the web Android Market. You might love iTunes, and connecting your iPhone via USB, but surely you can see that there might be some merit in browsing on your computer and having it appear on the phone automatically? It's a good feature, which is why the author chose to omit it.

Similarly, this is a laughable pot shot:

"The difference is that Apple's web store links to iTunes for purchases, which can be made via credit cards (since 2008); Google still only accepts its own Google Checkout for payments."

How is registering for an iTunes account and adding your credit card details any different from registering for a Google Checkout account and adding your credit card details? How do you think you pay via Google Checkout if it isn't via a card?! Come on!

In Honeycomb, Google is offering much more options and features, at the price of being rougher around the edges, which is the cost of being flexible with an open market.

In the iPad 2, Apple will continue to do what it did really well with the iPad, maintain a simple but focused user interface.

Overtime, both will be drawn closer to one another and borrow certain features. iOS will borrow Android's notifications bar, Android will borrow some of iOS's gestures, but they each will continue to maintain the above stance.

Both OS's will be extremely popular. With options and choices, consumers win. Apple will continue to drive Google to improve, and Google will drive Apple to do the same.

Within 2 years, the Android tablet userbase will surpass iOS's. And with the larger user-base, Android will draw in an increasing number of (iOS) developers.

Once everything is stabilized, Android will own the majority of the smartphone AND tablet space. But iOS will continue to serve its loyal fanbase with a very sharp and purposeful UX for its products.

Um, Apple borrow anything from android, are you kidding me ?
We are talking about the spawn of the devil that was stolen by Google, remember this piece of history ? If you are going to post, try and make yourself look un-trollish as possible please.
As I stated repeatedly there will be thousands of android handsets and tables, the differentiation will be so blurred by the multitude of screen sizes, that soon no one will know whether its an android phone or tablet.
Then there will be the 20 - 30, if not more, versions of the android OS.
So Mr. Joe public will know which one to get will he ? Will he chance on "X", hoping that it can play Angry Birds ? Imagine him sitting there waiting months for an OS update, while tens of new android crap ware have hit the market with OS version n.n.
Tell me genius boy, how is the general product going to choose ?
I think android will increase in popularity with regards to tablets (there are after all geeks out there and cheap skates), but will soon be so over super saturated with their BOGO, that they will be a blur in the eyes of the consumer, who will be soon tire of having to many choices and start buying the iPad. So in effect androids early popularity will be it's undoing.

By the way, a couple of things, is having the greater market more profitable, Apple certainly doesn't think so ($57 billion cash reserves), hight stock value and share prices, but I guess that is irrelevant right ?
Also Samsung were caught out in their lies on galaxy tabs shipped vs actual sales, the same applies to android phones, and why wouldn't it. So I question the myth of android taking over the smart phone market. I hardly see them, but always see iPhones everywhere.

I post false to your falses. You have your opinion on the GUI and I mine.
But please pray tell explain to me why the widgets won't suck the battery dry like a vampire at a teenage girl's slumber party ?
Also what is the state of play with the app killer, has android eventually been fixed of their myriard of bugs, but simply have not gone out to the masses, because they are at the mercy of the carriers/manufacturers ? Please enlighten me.

Based purely upon watching videos of Honeycomb and reading articles about it, it looks to strike a much better balance between a laptop and a phone than the iPad currently does. It's still very much a simplified device (far from what the AI article implies, it's far from being like a windows 7 tablet), but it uses the screen space intelligently and gives the user far more power for customisation.

But please pray tell explain to me why the widgets won't suck the battery dry like a vampire at a teenage girl's slumber party ?

Tell why a widget showing received SMS sucks battery, tell me how a widget showing a list of books sucks battery. Tell me how a widget checking every 30 min if there is a new message sucks the battery more than push notifications.

Also what is the state of play with the app killer, has android eventually been fixed of their myriard of bugs, but simply have not gone out to the masses, because they are at the mercy of the carriers/manufacturers ? Please enlighten me.

Apple clearly won out of the gate but are poised to take a severe blow to their conservative, walled, hubris-laden system. No Flash on the ipad SUCKS. Missing out on this functionality means that I can not perform certain aspects of running my business from a tablet computer when it should be a non issue.

The trend is openness and functionality. Finally, there are other, less restrictive options with Honeycomb- Zoom and the forthcoming( super hyped ) HP/Palm slate coming next week.

Lets see where we are in a year from now

And to all you reformed Google haters: the geeks today are the average users tomorrow.

Whoring out your OS to any and all takers - right down to junk-purveyors, and then claiming market share gains when your lousy junk sells boatloads because it's cheap and features some poorly-implemented touchscreen is hardly impressive.

This is why there currently exists no *single* iPhone-Killer. There is no Premiere product on the level of the iPhone. The iPhone alone is still the best-selling handset. Google needs to rely on fragmentation and sheer number of models at varying price points, while Apple - with a single phone (or at most, two) - holds impressive market share with blockbuster sales each quarter. And now there's a Verizon iPhone. Which is what *really* worries Google. It isn't market share that they're concerned about. It's developers. iOS is where the money is.

Google is doing exactly what MS did with the old Windows Mobile. Except this time around there's no money in it. Except for the carriers.

if they wrap this up in a nice price, they will have a great success with it, simply because once apple is too expensive. apple has now got all the early adopters, apple fans and loyal fanbase. but that's it! many, many people out there buy things only if they can afford them. apple, it would be time for an ipad and an ipad pro! the ipad pro is what we have right now (including camera, retina display, aluminum design) and the "other" ipad is plastic/rubber, "normal" display, bad facetime cam and comes in black, white, orange, tangerine, green and pink! and it also has a price tag of 299 us$ for the white, and 349 us$ for the other pads!

The Galaxy Tab was a lot more expensive that I thought it would be. $500-650 for a 7" tab running Froyo is expensive for that form factor. If Honeycomb is halfway decent and vendors can price point down to something reasonable, it could become the poor man's iPad. That's not a knock on Honeycomb, I'm talking hardware quality and general usability. I don't think iPad will be beat in either of those departments for a long time. But I know at least a couple people who are likely waiting to see how Honeycomb pans out. Price will be everything.

As far as a possible iPad and iPad Pro, very doubtful. The less expensive/less capabile iPad is the iPod Touch. Those will keep flying off the shelves for a while. Andrdoid-based tabs will come and go, and hardware vendors will pump out cheap hardware in hopes of moving volume.

I think a model of how the tablet wars will play out will be what happens when people start buying iPhones from Verizon. Android has a huge head start on Verizon.